The Kansas Carnage

🪨 Chapter 3 🪨

🔪 Brendon's POV 🔪

I grabbed the handle of Dean's suitcase and attempted to pull it out. After a few minutes of trying to get his stupid suitcase out, I was eventually able to get it out of the vehicle and onto the dirt driveway.

Dean walked over to me and picked up the suitcase without much effort. What the hell does he have in there? I thought before asking him out loud.

He stopped and turned to me. "PC stuff and clothes." He stated, turning back around and heading into the cabin.

Fair enough. I grabbed Benny and Kaden's suitcases, setting them down in front of the stairway into the cabin. I glanced over to Gene who was struggling with the cooler in Erin's trunk.

I glanced around, noticing no one else was really around. "Gene, need some help?" I asked, using this as an opportunity to speak to her about something that had been on my, and everyone else's, mind.

"Uh... yeah. If you don't mind." She muttered, letting go of the cooler's handles.

I walked over and grabbed the handles, lifting it with much more ease than Dean's suitcase. We walked together to the stairs in comfortable silence before I set down the cooler.

"So are you and Benny cool now?" I asked. Gene and Benny haven't really been on good terms for a while, maybe because Benny invited Gene on the trip it means they're speaking again.

"Not necessarily." She replied, fiddling with the end of her pink plaid skirt.

"What's that mean?" I question, now confused.

"I'm only here because Erin insisted I come. I didn't even want to come in the first place."

"Oh." I said, now very disappointed. Benny's been acting different ever since their break-up, Gene as well. I just want them to at least get along again.

"I'm gonna go inside. Thanks for the help." She stated, walking up the stairs and into the large cabin.

I sat down on the steps next to the pile of bags and sighed. I opened my bag and pulled out a bottle of whiskey and removed the top. I took a large sip, setting the bottle back down next to me. The glass clinked against the sanded wood, the brown liquid sloshing around inside.

I heard the cabin door open from behind me and I turned around. Benny walked over and sat down next to me, picking up the bottle and taking a sip. Their face twisted in disgust and they sat the bottle back down.

"Dude, that's disgusting." They muttered, reading the label.

"After a while, you get used to the taste." I replied.

They only hummed in response, looking away from the bottle and out at the forest that surrounded us. The sun had almost set by this point and the sky had turned a beautiful shade of orange and yellow.

"It's really pretty out here." I commented, now looking at the lake.

"It is." They murmured.

"Why'd you invite Gene?" They looked at me, shocked by this change of subject.

"Oh uh, Erin asked me if she could come." They said.

"But do you want her here?"

They looked away, suddenly very interested in their own shoes. "I don't know."

"You should talk to her." I insist, taking another sip of whiskey and handing the bottle to Benny. They stared at the bottle before taking a large swig.

They audibly gagged after swallowing, whipping their mouth with the back of their hand.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to that." They grinned.

I shrugged. "It's not that bad, actually."

"Weirdo." We both giggled a little, sitting together in a pleasant silence.

🌞Jaxx's POV 🌞

I walked up the stairs with my suitcase, glancing around the hallways for my room. Benny had come down to the cabin beforehand and given everyone designated rooms, mine being on the second floor. Each door had a different sign, all having some dumb saying.

I stopped to reread the text Benny had sent me. They had sent me a photo of the sign on the door of the room I had been staying in.

The sign read "Life is better at the cabin." in white cursive letters, a white arrow separating 'life' and 'better at the cabin.'

I looked around a little more, reading the signs on each door. 'We do not have Wifi. Talk to each other and pretend it's 1995.', 'I survived glass lake.', and 'get buck naked' were on three of the five doors in the hallway.

At the end of the hallway I found my room, opening the door and tossing my suitcase on the bed. I quickly began to unpack as I wanted to hurry downstairs and hang out with everyone.

As I walked back down the stairs I passed Benny walking towards the back of the house.

"Hey, where are you going?" I asked.

"Just gonna go fix a light on the back porch." They replied, continuing on their way.

I walked into the living room and collapsed on the couch, grabbing the TV remote before I did so. I attempted to turn it on but was only met with a blue screen. Confused, I turned to Dean who was sitting in a chair to my left.

"How do you work this thing?" I questioned, throwing him the remote.

"You need a disc." He stated, tossing it back at me. "There's a bunch in that box under the TV."

"Could you get it for me?" He just stared at me before saying no, looking back down at his phone.

I groaned, throwing my head back dramatically. In doing so I saw Rowan who was setting a box of food down on the dining table.

"Rowan! Could you get that box for me, please?" I pleaded, pointing at the plastic tub.

"What-? No, I'm doing stuff." They scoffed.

I groaned again, getting up and rummaging through the box of CDs. I picked up a DVD box and looked at the title. 'Jurassic Park' good enough, I guess. I opened the box and put the disc in the DVD player. I walked back over and sat on the couch, letting out a large sigh.

The movie began to play, the popular theme blasting throughout the living room. I watched the movie as my friends ran around, laughter and music filling the cabin.

I smiled. Out here, we could do anything we wanted. Nothing could stop us from having a good time.